Sr Research Engineer-Project Principal Investigator - RF

Overview

From our Ann Arbor, MI office, we have an opening for a Senior Research Engineer with RF hardware experience. You will participate in multi-disciplinary, collaborative teams and contribute to the development of state-of-the-art remote sensing and surveillance processing algorithms and software implemented on real-time hardware. Relevant sensor types include electro-optic/infrared and active/passive radar imaging and non-imaging systems. You will make leading-edge contributions to existing programs and help to shape the direction of future research efforts. Qualified candidates are a Principal Investigator or have the experience to develop in the near term into a Principal Investigator, designing new research paths, supervising research staff, and interacting with research sponsors to fund new program directions. Most programs are executed in small, highly collaborative groups. This is an in-office position with flexibility to work remotely occasionally.

This position is within the Advanced Technology and Systems Division (ATSD). The vision of ATSD is to create competitive advantages for our customers by inventing new technology and concepts resulting in disruptive, low cost, and high-performance solutions. The division advances the state of the art in diverse areas such as radar and electronic warfare; novel imaging technology; robotics; quantum sensing and metrology; marine technology; and applied optics. CHECK OUT OUR WORK! (https://www.sri.com/research/advanced-technology-and-systems-division/) The ability to collaborate across the Division and the Institute to bring different technologies together to create new capabilities is highly desired.

Responsibilities

• Act as project Principal Investigator. Develop new concepts and marketing and proposal material for new RF systems for government and commercial clients. Develop new business by interfacing with clients and leading proposal efforts.

• Work with an interdisciplinary team to design, develop, and test RF systems, including transmitters, receivers, and antennas spanning high frequency (HF) to W-band (100 GHz) with minimal oversight.

• Modeling of RF systems using industry-standard design tools.

• Collaboration with engineers across different domains, including mechanical, optical, digital.

• Documentation of system designs and schematics, test plans and procedures, and hardware development and test software.

• Participation in field experiments and data collections.

Qualifications

• PhD with 5+ years of related experience OR MS with 10+ years of related experience. Area of study - Electrical Engineering.

• U.S. Citizenship with ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance required.

• Knowledge of and experience with RF system design and modeling, including: radar sensitivity and resolution, RF link budgets.

• Ability to lead and manage programs, including: technical solution development and management of execution, development of schedules and budgets, resource allocation, and dependencies.

• Proficiency in use of RF laboratory test equipment, including: spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, oscilloscopes, RF signal sources.

• Ability to prepare and present technical content in a professional manner to customers and coworkers.

• Ability to support occasional travel associated with meetings and/or data collections.

Desired Skills:

• System-level analysis and architecture development of RF systems, including: system and subsystem requirements generation, system specification, and trade studies

• Experience maturing prototype designs (TRL 4-6) to operational systems (TRL 7-9)

• Experience with business development and proposal writing

• RF printed circuit board design and debug. Knowledge of Altium software is a plus.

• Electromagnetic, antenna and RF circuit modeling using industry-standard software. Familiarity with Ansys HFSS are Keysight Genesys are pluses.

• Phased array antenna systems: design, modeling, fabrication, testing

• Hardware integration and testing

• Experience with Matlab and/or Python; familiarity with Linux

The salary range is: $130,760-$194,505 Salary ranges will vary and are based on several factors, including geographic location, market competitiveness and equity amongst internal employees in similar roles. Positions may also qualify for SRI's Pay for Outstanding Performance program or the annual Performance Based Compensation program. SRI also has a competitive benefits package, to view details please go to https://www.sri.com/resources/benefits/. SRI will accept applications until the position is filled.

SRI is an independent nonprofit research institute headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., with a rich history of supporting government and industry. We create and deliver world-changing solutions for a safer, healthier, and more sustainable future. For more than 75 years, we have collaborated across technical and scientific disciplines to discover and develop groundbreaking products and technologies and bring innovations and ideas to the marketplace.

Background Check

Candidates who receive a conditional offer of employment will be subject to a background check.

EOE/AA

SRI is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.

At SRI

We value different identities, perspectives and experiences. An inclusive working environment that nurtures a culture of belonging strengthens our ability to create and deliver world-changing solutions for a safer, healthier, and more sustainable future.

Software Powered by ICIMS (https://icims.help/candidate-faq)

Job Locations US-MI-Ann Arbor

ID 2026-6406

Category Engineering

Position Type Full-Time

Worker Type On-Site